Gifts For National Park Lovers

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Ken Burns said National Parks are America’s best idea. Does that mean National Park gifts are the best gift idea? I am going with, “yes!” I love National Parks and I am guessing you do, too (or you know someone who does).

While I am partial to Yellowstone National Park since it is in my backyard, I love all the parks, monuments, refuges, forests, and other public lands in America and the world. I am not alone. I asked fellow bloggers and national park enthusiasts to help me come up with a list of the best National Parks gift ideas.

Best Gifts for National Park Lovers

From Yellowstone souvenirs to gifts for outdoor enthusiasts, we’ve compiled a list to help you find the perfect National Park gift for friends or family. We have gifts for adventure lovers and National Park gift ideas for everyone on your list (even yourself!).

Think of this as your personal National Park Store. Step inside this carefully curated National Park gift shop and find the best gifts for National Park lovers.

I’ve added a few special Yellowstone gifts since this is a site about Yellowstone after all.

I’ve divided this list of National Parks gifts into two sections.

National Park Themed Gifts
Gear For National Parks

Whether you are looking for National Park Christmas gifts, Hanukkah presents for National Park lovers, or National Parks souvenirs in general, we’ve got you covered.

Make sure you check out my Yellowstone Packing List for Summer and my Yellowstone Packing List for Winter. You will find all kinds of gift ideas there, too.

Vacation Coaching and Yellowstone Itineraries

One of the services I provide here is custom Yellowstone trip planning (for Grand Teton and Glacier National Parks, too!). I work with you (or your gift recipient) to craft a custom itinerary for the perfect Yellowstone trip.

If you don’t need as much personal attention, check out my Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks First Time Guide, Three-Day Yellowstone National Park Itinerary, Six-Day Yellowstone National Park Itinerary, and 20 Family Friendly Hikes in Yellowstone.

America the Beautiful Pass

I think one of the best gifts you can give someone who loves national parks is access. The America the Beautiful Pass (known as the National Park Pass in our family) lets you into over 2,000 National Park Sites and Federal Recreation Lands for a year. We buy one every year and are so happy to show this at the entrance kiosks at our favorite, and newly discovered, parks.

My father-in-law gave us one for several years and it was one of the best adventure-themed gifts we could get. Think of this as your National Park gift card.

You can purchase America the Beautiful annual pass at any National Park or online at REI. When you buy your REI National Park Pass, the store donates 10% to the National Park Foundation and you get a National Park membership. Everyone who loves visiting National Parks needs the National Parks passport.

National Park Themed Gifts

These are the gifts that you might use at home, but have a National Park theme. From National Parks Monopoly to a Glacier National Park coloring book, to National Parks scratch-off maps, and more, this National Park merchandise will remind you of trips you have taken and inspire you to visit more National Parks.

If you really want to wow someone, put a few of these National Parks themed gifts together and create a National Park gift box.

National Park Blankets

I absolutely love these Pendleton blankets featuring different National Parks. I received the Glacier Centennial Pendleton blanket last year from my father-in-law and use it all the time. (Do you see a theme here? He’s also the one that gave us the National Park pass. He knows the perfect gift for people who love National Parks.)

Then my husband got us the Yellowstone Pendelton blanket for my birthday. We are quite cozy these days.

The 100% wool blanket is Pendleton quality and beautiful in of itself. By adding the National Park designs it gets even better.

Pendleton makes blankets representing several National Parks; here are a few of my favorites:

National Park Games

Did you know there are classic games available with a National Park theme? Anyone who enjoys the outdoors will have so much fun playing National Park games. We love to play Monopoly as a family, and were so thrilled to receive Monopoly National Parks Edition as a gift. The game board, money, and cards all depict something to do with a National Park.

We’ve since looked into getting other games. There’s a Jenga where each wooden piece has a fun fact about the National Parks. There’s also National Park Yahtzee and Trivial Pursuit travel editions that would be perfect to play on a road trip.

If you have someone on your list that likes to play games and enjoys the National Parks, these games would be a fun gift. And you’re donating to a good cause because a portion of the proceeds goes to the National Parks Foundation!

– Jamie from PhotoJeepers

Click on the links below to see current prices and reviews for the following National Park-themed games.

Do you have another parks board game to recommend? These National Park presents are fun for the whole family.

Unique National Parks Coffee Table Book

While there are many books about the National Parks, National Geographic is probably the grandparent of National Park Coffee table books.

I am featuring two park books that I like:

National Geographic Atlas of the National Parks will inspire and delight with its National Geographic-quality photos and collection of information, maps, and graphics. This is really the tome to get if you really want to impress with a National Parks gift book. This book includes maps of all 61 National Parks and in-depth information and stories for 31 features parks. “Former park ranger and lifelong adventurer Jonathan Waterman guides you on your journey, highlighting honored landmarks, representative wildlife, fascinating histories, and future challenges.”

National Geographic Guide to National Parks of the United States is a smaller version of the above atlas, meant to be carried on your National Park road trip or used in the planning. But is it still pretty enough to grace your coffee table. You will find “expert travel advice, candid tips for hiking and wildlife spotting, and detailed maps to help navigate your way through America’s great outdoors.” As you’d expect, the photos are stunning and the information is helpful and interesting.

Coloring Glacier National Park, a Grayscale Coloring Book for Travelers

A visit to Montana’s Glacier National Park is an awe-inspiring experience. Craggy mountaintops, some still lightly sprinkled with glaciers, incomparable hiking trails, and prolific wildlife make a trip to Glacier a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The unforgettable scenery has inspired many a photographer or artist.

Now the National Park lover on your gift list can join in the fun with Coloring Glacier National Park, a Grayscale Coloring Book for Travelers, by Donna L. Hull. Inside, 34 one-sided pages depict iconic scenes like a mountain goat at Hidden Lake Overlook, the view from the deck at Many Glacier Hotel, and snow-capped peaks reflected in the waters of Lake McDonald.

Coloring these scenes will make your National Park fan feel like an artist. Gray shading guides color selections using darker colors in the dark gray sections and lighter colors in the lighter gray areas. The results are amazingly realistic.

Coloring Glacier National Park will rekindle fond memories of visits to The Crown of the Continent. Or it just might inspire another trip.

– Donna from My Itchy Travel Feet

See prices and reviews: Coloring Glacier National Park: A Grayscale Coloring Book for Travelers

See my Guide to Glacier National Park on TravelingMel.com.

National Park Poster

I love the vintage National Park posters. They make me feel nostalgic for a time before I was born when it took some effort and moxie to visit a National Park. I love being able to flash my National Park pass and drive to my favorite Yellowstone trailhead, but how cool would it be to come in by train and then stagecoach?

Vintage National Park posters take me to that time period. And if you frame them nicely, they make your house look beautiful. For National Park posters, Amazon is the place to go (hello, free shipping!) – unless you can go to your favorite National Park. In that case, go there.

See current prices and reviews on these National Park posters.

National Park Puzzles

If you are in need of gifts for National Park enthusiasts who also love to sit in front of a fire with a hot drink and a puzzle, you can’t go wrong with a National Park puzzle.

So far, I have completed a Yosemite National Park puzzle, a Grand Canyon National Park puzzle, and a Bryce Canyon National Park puzzle.

The Channel Islands National Park version awaits in my closet for this holiday season. Maybe I am a little too into National Parks puzzles!

See more National Park puzzles here.

National Park Scratch Off Map

If you are looking for map related gifts for a National Park fan, check out this National Parks map gift from Massive Wanderlust (It’s my favorite). It is made in the USA and of high quality. Once you visit a National Park, scratch off the tree near its name. Soon, you will have a whole forest of green trees showing all the parks you’ve been to. These National Park memorabilia is just the thing for my nature-loving son who is also a big geography aficionado.

You can hang this National Parks map poster on the wall to keep you motivated to take more trips.

If you want to see all the parks without having to visit and scratch, a US National Parks map makes a lovely decoration for your home. I like this American National Parks map because it includes all NPS sites, the highest elevation in every state, National Scenic Trails, and more. It comes in four different sizes so you can customize to fit your wall space.

It’s a push pin map, so you can mark the sites you’ve visited, but you can also just hang it on the wall as is and enjoying looking at it.

EmBlaze Your Trail also has a lovely Personalized U.S. National Park Bucket List Map on Canvas that looks great on the wall and is ideal for keeping track of your National Park travels.

I appreciate the ability to personalize the first two lines and the marker that comes with it to mark the National Park checklist. National Park lovers will enjoy the large format, white canvas and the poplar wood accents when checking off their National Park bucket list. This long canvas map beautifully displays all 63 major National Parks in the United States including the newest National Park…New River Gorge.

See other National Park Maps

National Park Kids Books

These adventure themed gifts get kids excited about visiting National Parks. Plus, we all get more out of a trip when we know the backstory of a place.

I wrote a post about the best Yellowstone books for kids, tweens, and teens (both fiction and nonfiction). Check it out if you are planning a family trip to Yellowstone.

There are so many National Park books for kids. I can’t begin to list them here, but some of our favorites include:

National Parks Apparel

Let your gift recipients show their love of National Parks with these NP gifts of garb.

National Park T Shirts: Whether you are looking for general National Park tees or something from a specific park, you can find it. I like this Fill In Your U.S. National Parks t-shirt for men with a list of National Parks on the back. For women, these National Parks shirts are cute. And kids will love this “Explore Our National Parks” tee.

You can see all REI’s National Park shirts here. The men’s classic fit, short sleeve, button down shirts with prints from various National Parks are pretty fun, too.

You can find more National Park tees on Amazon. Including this great National Park tee shirt listing 59 National Parks inside a bear silhouette.

It comes in several colors and sizes.

We are also huge fans of EmBlaze Your Trail apparel over here and think it makes a great gift for any reason. There are rotating styles to choose from, but I am currently in love with the “Hike Wild” series. You can mix and match your favorite animal with the color of your choosing. You can’t go wrong!

I also dig the “Wild for our Parks” shirts. All of their t-shirts and hoodies and quite soft and comfortable. They are designed and printed in the Midwest.

See all EmBlaze Your Trail merchandise here.

National Park Hats: Protect your noggin and scream “I love National Parks” at the same time with a National Park hat. There are a lot of choices, as you can imagine. I love this PNW Apparel trucker hat with a woven patch for keeping the sun off.

There are some super cute National Park beanies that will keep you warm and cozy throughout the winter season.

National Park Hoodie: Snuggle up in a National Park hoodie. Like the t shirts and hats, these are perfect to wear in a National Park or when you are in between trips. See a bunch of hoodies from specific parks here.

My fave is the retro Yellowstone hoodie).

You can adorn yourself or your friends and family with National Park gear from head to toe! (Yes, there are National Park socks, too!)

Gear For National Parks

The rest of this list includes:

Best Gifts For Nature Lovers
Best Gifts For Hikers
Best Gifts For Camping Lovers
Best Gifts For Adventurers

These are the items people want to take with them on their National Park adventure to enhance their experience.

Night Sky Map

Forget about a regular map and get lost with a map of the stars in the night sky! National Parks are miles and miles away from the bright city lights which gives the viewer the most spectacular view of the sky. Grab a map, get comfy and look up. You can’t see the sky like this in the city! Try to locate some of the many stars constellations the night sky has to offer. Have you ever seen so many?

Celestron Sky Maps is one of the best tools for star gazing. The front of the book includes this very cool glow-in-the-dark planisphere. A rotating star wheel can be adjusted to any date and time in the past, present, or future. After setting the time you will see the display of the stars how they looked at the particular time. Expose the book cover to light for a minute and you will get a glow-in-the-dark skies display with all major stars glowing just like the ones in the sky. The book also contains stars charts for each of the four seasons.

– Jana from Travels and Smiles

See current prices and reviews for Celestron Sky Maps.

This would be a great addition on a trip to Joshua Tree National Park, Death Valley National Park, or Yellowstone. Really, any National Park away from city lights.

Filter Water Bottle

Everyone needs water – and the world needs less plastic – that’s why I carry a reusable filter water bottle. Everywhere. This is a great gift for National Park lovers. It will help them avoid buying bottled water and stop them contributing to the increasing problem of plastic in landfills and oceans. A great filter water bottle will remove Giardia and Cryptosporidium from untreated or contaminated water, as well as other bugs, which can cause nasty gastrointestinal diseases.

If the only water source is a river or a stream, or even a muddy puddle, then a filter water bottle can clean that up for you too.

And, as a filter water bottle is the gift that keeps on giving, it will save money too. I save on average US$425 a year just on drinking water by using this!

– Sarah from ASocialNomad

See current prices and reviews on LifeStraw Go Water Filter Bottle with 2-Stage Integrated Filter Straw

Best Camera for National Parks

A great camera is one of the best gifts for national park lovers. Whether it is Zion, Yosemite, or Yellowstone National Park, a good camera is a must to capture the awe and beauty of these places. While phone cameras are great these days, I personally prefer a camera with a bit more oomph about it than my phone camera.

My personal favorite is the Canon Powershot G7X Mark ii. This neat little camera is not only portable, compared to the bigger DSLRs, it has all the functionality and capabilities of its bigger counterparts.

From different scene modes, to fully manual, this camera will easily capture the beauty and wonder of the national parks. It can shoot in jpeg, raw, or both modes at the same time. And its handy WiFi capability means you can share your stunning landscapes with your friends, family, and followers in just a few short steps. While it’s not very light, it is portable, making it ideal for families as well as solo travellers. A great, portable camera is an ideal gift for national park lovers.

– Cath from Passports and Adventures

See current prices and reviews on Canon PowerShot Digital Camera [G7 X Mark II].

Trekking Poles and Walking Sticks

If your National Park gift recipient likes to walk or hike, a set of trekking poles or a National Park hiking stick will help them mosey down the trail more easily.

I use trekking poles all the time now. My personal brand of choice is Leki. All Leki trekking poles are adjustable so they collapse when not in use and work for almost all heights. Some are shock absorbing, others are ultra-light. There are even men’s and women’s trekking poles.

I don’t think it matters, whichever trekking poles / hiking poles you choose will likely be wonderful for hiking in National Parks. (I do like the cork handles.)

A National Park walking stick or personalized hiking stick will be both useful and serve as a souvenir and memory keeper. Our friends at EmBlaze Your Trail can make the perfect one-of-a-kind hiking stick!

Lightweight Tripod

For travelers who love being out in nature and visiting National Parks, it is always vital to try and keep your backpack as light as possible! This can often be a struggle if you enjoy taking photos, as traditional camera gear can be quite heavy and bulky.

One of the best gifts you can give to people who want to reduce weight in their backpack and also improve their photos is a quality lightweight tripod.

One of the best lightweight tripods currently available on the market is undoubtedly the JOBY GorillaPod. What makes this tripod stand out from its competitors are its flexible legs that can be wrapped around different objects, such as tree trunks, to help you capture the perfect photo.

I take this tripod on every trip I go on and love the fact that it is incredibly light, yet is still very sturdy and suitable for a range of mirrorless and DSLR cameras. This is undoubtedly a fantastic gift for budding photographers who enjoy visiting National Parks and being in nature!

– Michael from The World Was Here First

See current prices and reviews on JOBY GorillaPod Compact Tripod

Kids Sleeping Bag

One of my favorite things about the National Parks are all the different kinds of lodging available.

We love to camp when available, but also enjoy cabins and other “rustic” style stays as well, even when out exploring with our kids. But with things like camping, you need to have some pretty specific gear.

Therefore, one of our necessities to traveling in the National Parks is the perfect kids’ sleeping bag, since weathering the outdoors brings all sorts of climates! In fact, we learned the importance of having a kid/toddler specific sleeping bag and why an adult one just won’t do for the little travelers. On cold nights, an adult bag meant for adult sizes, just won’t keep a smaller body’s heat in the same way.

One of the benefits of our kids having their own sleeping bag is that they get excited about the trip when they got to pick out and use their own gear, just like us adults!

– LeAnna from Well Traveled Nebraskan

Kid Binoculars

An item we never travel without, when visiting National Parks, are kids binoculars. They come in many sizes and depending on the age of your kids you can choose between those that are more like a toy or invest in better quality ones with excellent (and sometimes pricey) lenses.

Our kids are obsessed with them and they are a great way to help them engage with the park. My two like to use them the right way and try spot climbers, birds or faraway wildlife, but sometimes they get more silly with them and turn them around to see how far a bug (or your brother) can look!

The ones we have are light and have a good strap around the neck that comes undone in case they get hooked in a branch or similar while hiking. This is a security thing most kids’ binoculars have and one it is worth looking out for even if on a budget as it saves from potentially serious injuries.

Small binoculars take up very little space and are fun on any trip but especially in National Parks, where they can make you feel like a pro while you work your way to gaining a junior ranger badge!

– Marta from Learning Escapes

See current prices and reviews on kids binoculars on Amazon.

Child Carrier

Visiting any National Park can be a lot of fun to do with kids – even young ones! However, even if your kids are active, it is hard for their little legs to keep up with adults on some of the long walks and hikes. Often strollers can just get in the way and just can’t tackle the grounds of some parks. For parents with young kids, child carriers are often the answer.

Child carriers are a great gift for parents (or grandparents or anyone else that likes to bring young children with them to parks) that visit national parks. Having a child carrier opens up a whole new world of opportunities for people! They can actually be quite comfortable and extremely easy to use.

Don’t get overwhelmed when selecting a child carrier – there is a lot to choose from. A soft structured carrier (as opposed to a “hiking” one with a hard frame) is a great option as it can be stuffed into a bag.

An Ergo is a child carrier brand that can fit all body types and is easy to use (great for busy mothers!). Woven wraps are also very versatile, but there is a longer adjustment period to learn proper wrapping techniques. Both an Ergo and a woven wrap can be worn on the front (for babies – they can even nurse while being carried!) or back.

Child carriers can, and should, last for years, so take advantage by getting a high weight limit. I recently wore my tall six-year-old in my Didymos woven wrap, walking around ruins in Mexico!

– Rebecca from Innate Moves

See current prices and reviews on Ergobaby child carrier and all baby carrier wraps.

Off-Road Stroller

An off-road stroller is one of the best gifts for parents who love national parks! Having a baby doesn’t mean national park travel needs to be restricted to scenic overlooks. There are so many park trails that are stroller-friendly if you have the right model.

My favorite is the BOB brand, but there are also several others built for hiking off-the-beaten-path. I recommend one with a fixed or lockable front wheel for stability on rough terrain, and a tether and handbrake for safety.

My family has used ours on trips to the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Big Sur (among many others!), and it always works out great – especially when our backs need a break from carrying our baby in his kid carrier.

All-terrain strollers are perfect for parents who don’t want to sacrifice their outdoor lifestyles when little ones come along. And it’s a great way to introduce baby to an active lifestyle enjoying all that our national parks have to offer!

– Mary Beth from a Reluctant Mom

See current prices and reviews on off road strollers.

See my guide to Family Friendly Hikes in Yellowstone. Some of them are very stroller-friendly.

Passport To Your National Parks

Each of my kids has a National Park Passport that we often remember to take with us when visiting a National Park for the first time. It makes for a near Parks project while they use them, and a fun National Park souvenir when it’s full.

Each time we go to a Park we stamp the corresponding page in our National Parks passport book with the designated stamp in the visitor center. You can also get stickers from a National Park gift shop for each park.